By Jelly F. Musico
MANILA, Sept. 7 (PNA) – Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said on Sunday the Senate commendation for the 40 UN Filipino peacekeepers should push through despite the claim by a United Nation peacekeeping force official that the Filipinos violated the chain of command and their great escape from Syrian rebels was “an act of cowardice.”
Trillanes said the Filipino peacekeepers did the right decision to defy order of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) commander, Lt. Gen. Iqbal Singha, to surrender their arms to the heavily-armed Syrian rebels at the recent siege of the Golan Heights in Syria.
”The decision of our Pinoy peacekeepers was correct and we need to give them commendation,” Trillanes, a former military officer, said in a radio dzBB interview.
In fact, the Navy officer-turned lawmaker said he would recommend to give the Filipino peacekeepers combat promotion for their “display of bravery and gallantry in action beyond the call of duty.”
”There is no doubt that our soldiers have shown bravery,” Trillanes said.
Trillanes said he believed the Filipino peacekeepers did not violate the chain of command when they defied Singha and instead planned for a great escape after a seven-hour firefight with Syrian rebels.
”We have what we call initiative of the commander and when he saw that on the ground, he can resort to that. There is also what we call bravery beyond the call of duty. The call of duty was to surrender but they can still fight and it ended in positive result,” Trillanes explained.
He also explained: “We have overriding national interest and our chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has realized that because it will become our problem if our peacekeepers ended up hostages like the Fijian peacekeepers.”
Trillanes was referring to AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang who reportedly said they would stand with Filipino UNDOF Chief of Staff Col. James Enriquez who defied Singha’s order.
Enriquez has reportedly offered to resign but Singha turned it down.
Due to the decision of the Fijian peacekeepers to follow the order of Singha, Trillanes said the UN is now facing big problem because of the Fijian peacekeepers held hostage by the Syrian rebels.
”In military operation, if the outcome is positive, there is no bad decision. The result here is positive because we saved our soldiers, nobody was hurt and they fought what they should fight,” Trillanes stressed.
On the other hand, Trillanes said that for following Singha’s order, “the Fijian peacekeepers were held hostage. Now that’s the big problem of the UN. You can’t say it was a result of good decision.”
”At least now, we know with certainty that our soldiers are safe now and no longer the problem of the UN,” he added.
Last Saturday, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III proposed that appropriate awards be conferred on the Filipino peacekeepers for their display of bravery.
Pimentel said the 40 UN Filipino peacekeepers also deserve cash incentives and on-the-spot promotions. (PNA)